The
Hongkong Telegraph.
MONDAY, CCT. 20 1930.
PAYING THE PIPER.
If our Unofficial Members are not unduly vocal during the ordin- ary meetings of the Legislative Council, they can at least be said to make some amends when it comes to debating the Colony's Budget. This year, there has been a break with custom by setting aside a whole morning for the purpose. Outward evidence of the length of the orations can be found in our news columns to-day. As will be understood, we have not yet had sufficient time in which to analyse
the
Unofficial speeches, which, however, we commend to the public as being worthy of study. One point which will probably suggest itself is that, in the main, the cri- ticisms are hardly as severe or out- spoken as might have been expect- ed, but no doubt there was a feel- ing on the part of the Unofficials that the bitter pill of extra taxa- tion had to be swallowed and that
it had better be done with as little fuss as possible.
Reconciliation to the necessity for further taxation is generally recognised in the speeches, with a hope that they will be remitted as soon as this becomes practicable. It will be realised, of course, that the Unofficials were faced with a
difficult situation. The Budget had to be balanced, and they could hard- ly be expected to come forward with cut-and-dried schemes where- by no further call would be made for revenue. The origin of the trouble is the tremendous extra sum which has to be found for personal emoluments, which, in its turn, is partly due to the fall in the sterling value of the dollar. The· salary increases, as is known, were forced through by weight of the Official Majority: they certainly did not have the approval of the Unofficials or of the public whom they represent. With the situa- tion so serious as it is, we can only once again* express our surprise that the Government should appear to be so unconcerned about the currency problem. A more anomal- ous situation than that represented by the fact that the Government re- ceives its revenue in silver and in- curs so much of its expenditure in! sterling could scarcely be imagined.
.
& Colonial office
This really lies at the root of the whole trouble. We refuse to be- lieve that this currency problem is impossible of solution, and we as- sert that serious application to it of this is the greatest need Colony.
By this time of day, the Govern- ment has, we are happy to think, come to realise the strength of pub- lic feeling with regard to the ris- ing cost of government. The limit has been more than reached--it has been overstepped. From all that we hear, there is a good deal going on behind the scenes in the matter of retrenchment. That is all to the good. The public, however, ex- pects far more from the results of the labours of the Retrenchment Commission than from the Govern- ment's self-imposed economies. In- deed, there is a widespread feeling that if our burden of taxation is to be lightened, it will only be as a consequence of sweeping proposals by the Commission, which has the goodwill of the whole community in the task to which it is devoting itself. If we have to put up with unreasonable taxation at the mo- ment, we have at least the right to expect and demand that if the Re- trenchment Commission indicates how expenditure can be cut suf- ficiently, the burdens shall be re- moved without any delay. To talk of the Colony being lightly taxed, whilst at the same time ignoring other vital factors, is only to mis- state the position. What is more, it only serves to raise the ire of those who know from actual experi- ence what these constant demands by the Gvernment for more money
involve.
!
1/2
1930